Legumes & Nuts Category

This is made from soy milk, and it's a very convincing substitute for those who wish to avoid egg-based mayonnaise. Nayonaise is a well-respected brand.

This is made from soy milk, and it's a good alternative for those who wish to avoid dairy products.

This nutritional powerhouse is extremely versatile--it's used to make salad oil, tofu, soy sauce, meat analogs, soy milk and cheese, and many other ingredients. The actual beans need to be soaked a long time and are somewhat hard to digest, but they're extremely nutritious.

These colorful sheets can be used to wrap sushi. Look for them in Asian markets.

This peanut butter substitute is made from roasted soynuts. It's got a bit less fat than peanut butter, and much less flavor.

These are roasted soybeans that you eat like peanuts. They're about the shape of corn kernels, and sometimes coated with flavorings. Baked soynuts are lower in fat than fried.

This heirloom bean is sometimes used to make Boston baked beans.

This cross between an English pea and a snow pea is sweet and crisp, and is eaten whole, pod and all. Sugar snaps can be served raw, briefly stir-fried, pickled, or steamed as a side dish.

These pretty brown beans are especially good in soups.

This Indonesian meat substitute is made from soybeans and other grains that have been injected with a mold and allowed to ferment. It's rich in protein and fiber and has a chewy texture and salty, nutty flavor. Before using it, steam or simmer it for about twenty minutes. Then use it just like tofu or meat--either by marinating it and grilling or by crumbling it into pieces and frying them. Look for tempeh among the frozen foods in supermarkets or in health food stores. It will keep in the freezer for a few months, or in the refrigerator for about a week.

This was a staple of Native Americans in the Southwest. It's good for making refried beans and chili. Look for it in health food stores.

This is a healthy ground meat substitute made from defatted soy flour. It comes as dried or frozen flakes, granules, or chunks, and it has a chewy, meaty texture when it's cooked. The flavor's a bit bland, so it works best in well-seasoned dishes like chili and sloppy joes. Some brands are beef or chicken-flavored. Look for it in health food stores.

Tofu is cheap, high in protein, low in fat, and very versatile. You can eat it raw or cooked, but it's bland by itself and tastes best if it's allowed to absorb other flavors. There are several varieties of raw tofu, each with different moisture contents. Silken and soft tofu are relatively moist, and best suited for making shakes, dips, and dressings. Regular tofu has some of the moisture drained away, and it's best for scrambling or using like cheese in casseroles. Firm, extra-firm, and pressed tofus are even drier, so they absorb other flavors better and hold their shape in stir-fries and on the grill. Tofu is also available smoked, pickled, flavored, baked, and deep-fat fried.

This made with tofu, and it's lower in fat and more nutritious than ordinary sour cream. Look for it in health food stores.

A tofu and seitan substitute.

These beans are especially good in seafood dishes.

This bean is a close relative of the cranberry bean. Despite its name, it's not hot at all.

These lentils are tan when whole, but they're usually sold skinned and split, which reveals their yellow interiors. They're popular in Southern and Western India. Look for them in Indian markets.

Whole toor lentils are yellow with tan jackets, but they're usually sold skinned and split. They have a mild, nutty flavor, and they're often cooked as a side dish or ground into flour. They're sometimes sold with an oily coating, which you should rinse off. Look for them at Indian markets.

This German heirloom bean is relatively sweet. It's especially good in soups and casseroles

A seitan-based turkey.

These lentil-like beans have black skins covering creamy white interiors. Whole urad dal derive their strong, earthy flavor from the black skins and are often used in curries. Split urad dal retain the skins and also have a strong flavor. Skinned and split urad dal are creamy white and somewhat bland.

These are black lentils (or urad dal) that have been split and skinned. They're much milder than unskinned.

These are black lentils (or urad dal) that have been split but not skinned. They're not as mild as white lentils, which have been split and skinned.

These are skinned and split lablab beans. They're available in Indian markets.

Walnuts are rich and flavorful, and cooks like to use them in everything from fudge to salads. Markets usually carry English walnuts = royal walnuts = Persian walnuts. Less common are black walnuts, which are much more flavorful but harder to shell. To roast, put shelled walnuts on a baking pan and in bake them in a 325° oven, stirring occasionally, until they're slightly golden, about ten minutes. After you remove the nuts from the oven, rub them vigorously with a towel so as to remove as much of their bitter skins as possible. Fresh walnuts are available year-round, but they're best in the fall. Since they're high in fat and therefore prone to rancidity, it's best to store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

This black nut bears an unmistakable resemblance to a bull's head. Each one is about two inches across, and has a very hard shell. After you shell water caltrops, you'll need to steam or boil them before you can eat them as they contain harmful toxins in their raw state. Or you can skip eating them altogether, and just use them to make jewelry.

These are similar to green beans except for the color, which can be yellow or purple. Don't confuse these with lima beans, which are sometimes called wax beans.

This pale yellow miso is the sweetest and mildest of them all. It's used to make light soups, salad dressings, desserts, and marinades for fish. It's aged only briefly and isn't as salty as other forms of miso.

This pods have deep ridges, and attached leaves that open up like wings. Young ones are best. Don't confuse this with the yard-long bean, which is also sometimes called an asparagus bean.

These beans usually aren't a yard long--half a yard is more typical. Asians like to cut them into smaller pieces and add them to their stir-fried dishes. You can also boil or steam them like green beans, though they're not as sweet and juicy. They don't store well, so use them within a few days of purchase.

This golden yellow miso is made of rice and aged briefly. It's salty but mild and quite versatile. It's a good choice if you only want to store one tub of miso in your refrigerator.

These have an earthier flavor than green peas. Scandinavians like to use them in soups, while the British use them in their pease pudding. It's best to buy them split, since split peas don't need to be soaked and cook fairly quickly.